polecat n 1: American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely malodorous fluid when startled; in some classifications put in a separate subfamily Mephitinae [syn: {skunk}, {polecat}, {wood pussy}] 2: dark brown mustelid of woodlands of Eurasia that gives off an unpleasant odor when threatened [syn: {polecat}, {fitch}, {foulmart}, {foumart}, {Mustela putorius}]
Polecat \Pole"cat`\, n. [Probably fr. F. poule hen, and originally, a poultry cat, because it feeds on poultry. See {Poultry}.] (Zool.) (a) A small European carnivore of the Weasel family ({Putorius f[oe]tidus}). Its scent glands secrete a substance of an exceedingly disagreeable odor. Called also {fitchet}, {foulmart}, and {European ferret}. (b) The zorilla. The name is also applied to other allied species. [1913 Webster]
53 Moby Thesaurus words for "polecat": Cape polecat, animal, ape, bar, bear, beast, cavy, chimp, chimpanzee, coon, cur, dog, ferret, foumart, glutton, groundhog, guinea pig, hedgehog, hound, hyena, insect, mongrel, monk, monkey, mousehound, opossum, pig, porcupine, possum, prairie dog, quill pig, raccoon, reptile, rotten egg, serpent, skunk, snake, stink ball, stink bomb, stinkard, stinker, stinkpot, swine, varmint, vermin, viper, weasel, whelp, whistle-pig, wolverine, woodchuck, worm, zoril